Welcome to The Steamie, the Scottish politics blog brought to you by The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News.

Our aim is simple - to be the number one place in the blogosphere for Scottish political news, analysis and gossip, provided by the nation's most experienced team of political journalists and commentators.

In the nicest possible way, we intend The Steamie to be the place where Scottish politics washes its dirty linen; where policies and strategies are held up to the light and scrutinised; and where political reputations are examined for unsightly stains.

Our blogs are only one part of what The Steamie has to offer - the other essential element will be your comments and your own analysis. So please feel free to have your say, either on an individual posting or by writing on The Steamie Wall.

Welcome to The Steamie. Let's turn up the heat.

The Steamie - Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is The Steamie?

A. The Steamie is a rolling blog on Scottish politics.

Q. Why is it called The Steamie?

A. The 'steamie' was the name given to the communal wash-house that was common in urban Scotland in the 1950s. The phrase has survived into contemporary Scottish speech - when something is "the talk of the steamie" it's the talk of the town, the word on the street.

Q. Who is behind The Steamie?

A. The steamie is produced by political journalists and commentators on three newspapers - The Scotsman, Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News. The three papers are owned by the Johnston Press, a newspaper publishing group that was founded in Falkirk in 1767.

Q. How can I get a link to my own Scottish politics blog listed on The Steamie website?